Local search engine optimization is the practice of using digital marketing strategies to improve online local search rankings. With the increasing prominence of Google Search, Google Maps, and voice searches, it is now more important than ever for local businesses to compete online to be the first option customers see. Here is an in-depth guide to what local SEO is and how it can help your business!
Where Local Search Optimization Matters
While there are many places for local businesses to be found online—including local search directories —the most impactful are:
- Google Map Pack
- Google Maps
- Voice Searches
Google Map Pack/Local Pack
The Google Map Pack —also referred to as the Google 3-Pack or Local Pack—is the listing at the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs) in a standard Google search. In the Local Pack, Google only shows the top three businesses that best fit the intent of the search.
The Map Pack appears at the top of SERPs for 93% of Google searches with local intent , which means finding your way into the top three is often going to be the difference between gaining and missing new customers.
Google Maps
Google Maps is one of the most user-friendly local search directories, especially on mobile. In fact, 86% of customers use Google Maps to find local businesses . Users will enter queries like “restaurants near me” into Google Maps to find a comprehensive list of local options. These businesses are ranked in many of the same ways as the Map Pack, but Maps allows more than three options to be listed.
Some of the biggest local search ranking factors include your business’ proximity to the searcher, the completeness of your Google My Business (GMB) Profile, the overall sentiment of the reviews you receive, and your star rating. These factors all help determine where you will rank in Google Map searches.
Voice Searches
Voice searches are becoming more common thanks to advances in mobile devices and smart home technology. Similar to Google, AI assistants like Siri and Alexa quickly scroll through local businesses and use attributes like distance and star ratings to determine the best option for your voice search.
Though it can be tough for local businesses to rank for voice search because only one option is offered, it is still important, especially for home services businesses .
Searchers with smart home assistants like Alexa can now call a local business from home. For example, if someone needs electrical services, they may say, “Alexa, find an electrician near me,” and Alexa will present them with the best electrician in the area.
Often, the best will be the closest electrician with a high rating that can be contacted straight from the device. If your online profile isn’t complete with reviews about the speed and quality of your service and doesn’t have your contact information easily accessible, you are essentially removing yourself from the local search game.
Why Local SEO Is Important
Local search is the place for local businesses to find customers online. The local search statistics speak for themselves:
- 97% of users have searched online for a local business
- “Near me” mobile searches increased by 136% in 2021
- 46% of all Google searches include local intents
- Over 50% of “near me” searches result in offline visits
- 28% of all local searches result in a purchase
For the best possible local search performance, your business needs local SEO. It’s not enough to appear on the list. Your business needs to try to be first because 24.4% of all clicks for a local business search go to the first result.
If you’re outperformed by just one competitor in local search, your business can miss out on almost a quarter of potential customers. To consistently appear as a top option in local search rankings, you’ll need to optimize your online presence for local search.
Local SEO vs. Traditional SEO
Local SEO and traditional SEO often want to achieve similar goals—like improving brand awareness or driving meaningful conversions. However, local SEO differs from standard SEO because it targets direct conversions and local businesses instead of national competitors.
Local SEO drives results that matter to local businesses:
- Higher ranking in local search results
- Direct conversions like calls or driving direction requests
Some of the primary local SEO practices include:
- Google Business Profile (Google My Business) optimization
- Building & managing local citations
Traditional SEO drives results that matter to businesses competing on the national level:
- Higher ranking in organic search results
- Indirect conversions like website traffic and higher domain authority
Some traditional SEO practices include:
- Website optimization
- Content creation & optimization
- Link building
Of course, businesses would hope to see all four benefits if they practice SEO properly, but different focuses are needed to compete locally instead of nationally.
Businesses that Need Local SEO
Any business that operates in a local area needs local SEO. From small businesses to franchise chains, local SEO needs to be the foundation of any local business’ digital marketing campaign.
Here are meaningful results that local SEO can help your small business achieve:
- More website traffic
- Increase in phone calls
- Driving direction requests
- Brand awareness
- A simplified buyer’s journey
- Higher customer ratings
- More positive reviews
And even though most businesses need local SEO, the practice isn’t going to look the same for every type of business.
Service area businesses like electricians and plumbers should drive more calls directly from their Google My Business listing, while hybrid businesses like locksmiths or a delivery pizza restaurant might boost driving direction requests to their physical location and drive more calls. And standard brick-and-mortar businesses like sit-down restaurants or boutiques might focus on driving more website traffic so potential customers can learn more about the products or services.
9 Ways to Improve Your Business Visibility with Local SEO
1. Optimize for Google My Business.
Google My Business has become the creme de la creme of local search. Since Google supports, verifies, and shares its own content generously, Google My Business is an ideal tool to help your business meet Google’s needs.
To ensure you’re optimized for Google My Business, you’ll want to:
- Create and verify a Google My Business page.
- Use Google Posts within your account.
- Encourage your customers to share reviews online.
- Respond authentically to reviews, specifying location. For example, “We appreciate your feedback on [product/service] in [city, state]. We value your input and look forward to working with you again. Thank you from the [full company name] team.”
If Google can verify your business as authentic, the search engine could potentially reward your business with a coveted sidebar space in Google’s local search.
Don’t just do this for the SEO, either. By having reviews and keeping your contact information and operating hours up-to-date, you’re improving the experience for potential customers to find you. Finding current data is essential to consumers, now more than ever, due to 2020’s disruption in consumer shopping behavior and business operation.
2. Optimize online directories and citations.
For United States companies, these four map data aggregators provide many map data for Apple, Yelp, Bing, Google, Trip Advisor, and more:
Consistency is key: verify that your citations are consistent and complete across these four data aggregators.
Discrepancies like misspellings, abbreviations, lack of suite number, or wrong phone number can be problematic.
If Google can’t determine which information about your business is correct, it may not show your business at all in search results.
Pro Tip: Remove any duplicate listings you find in online directories. And while you’re at it, get a Chamber of Commerce membership in your community to gain an external inbound link specific to your area.
3. Perform a local SEO audit.
Once you have the fundamentals down, it may be tempting to put your foot on the brake. However, SEO is an ongoing and intuitive process. Instead of stopping there or simply making changes and seeing what sticks, it helps to perform a comprehensive audit to see where your website stands and what you need to work on to achieve your goals. A local SEO audit may include the following:
- Google My Business Audit – How does your Google My Business appear in the SERPs? Is the information accurate?
- Google Search Console Audit – Is your site crawlable? Does it have any errors that would hinder indexing?
- On-Page SEO Audit – Does your site accommodate all the on-page SEO elements that help ranking?
- Citation Audit – Are all of your citations correct in the top business directories?
- Competitor Analysis – How does your site match up with your competition’s? Are there any gaps that you need to close? How do you match up in terms of inbound links, content, design, and positioning?
- Website Audit – How well is your website performing?
4. Improve your internal linking structure.
Although external links pointing to your site are ideal (which I’ll discuss soon), adjusting your internal linking structure will also boost your SEO rankings.
Why does internal linking matter? It does the following:
- Supports website navigation
- Assists with information architecture and website hierarchy
- Distributes page authority and ranking power among pages
If you want to improve your internal linking structure but aren’t sure where to start, check out Kissmetrics’ The Seven Commandments of Internal Linking for Top-Notch SEO.
5. Optimize URL, title tags, headers, meta description, and content.
When it comes to content, every new blog post is a new indexed page for your site, a new page on which to target a geographic search phrase, and a new opportunity to get found in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
Every time you write a piece of content, you need to optimize the content for search engines by using high-volume keywords in the URL, title, header, meta description, and body. If you’re having trouble coming up with geo-targeted content, consider highlighting customer success stories and case studies.
Pro Tip: The more specifications you add to these assets (especially for each location of your business), the better you’ll be able to optimize “near me” local searches.
6. Engage on social media and add posts to Google My Business.
Google considers content shared on social media more important now than ever before.
Now that you’ve carved out a beautiful Google My Business page, share it on social media, further aligning social and search.
7. Create local content.
Google continues to get smarter, which means content creators can now write more for users and less to appease search engines. And while writing about general topics will attract a vast crowd, sometimes it’s more important to hone your focus and write about local or industry news to attract a local audience.
Be the local authority for your industry by promoting local industry gatherings, news, employees, and other educational content on your blog. Think of top-of-the-funnel content that goes beyond what your business sells.
For example, if you’re a local security company and trying to attract businesses new to the area, create a helpful resource to get these businesses well-acquainted with your city. A map of local service providers or a calendar of city-wide events could both provide value for your persona and contain highly relevant on-page local signals.
8. Ensure your website is mobile-friendly.
Local and mobile search go hand in hand (61% of all Google searches are performed on mobile).
Some of the most common ways people will use your site in a mobile environment are to look up reviews, find directions to your location, and search for contact information. In fact, “near me” searches on mobile have increased 250% since 2017.
Make it easy for your prospects and customers by making your site mobile-friendly.
9. Get inbound links with relevance and authority.
Inbound links are compelling opportunities to boost your local SEO — every inbound link tells Google you’re a legitimate company, and inbound links can also raise your domain authority. Here are a few ways to get inbound links:
- Sponsorships or Partnerships
- Guest Blog Posting
- Scholarships
Start with your network, including the Chamber of Commerce, business improvement districts, licensing bureaus, trade associations, resellers, vendors, manufacturers, and other affiliates.
Consider sponsoring a webinar or meet-up, hosting a community event, promoting something local you love, and building relationships with prominent people and influencers. Additionally, learn to feel comfortable reaching out to partners to see if they can feature you on their partner directory.
Improve Your Business Visibility with Local SEO
Local SEO is an integral part of any SEO strategy for local businesses. Local SEO will help your audience find you when they search online if you have a storefront or service area. We hope you find this article helpful in your journey to gain brand recognition and authority on the net.
